Working KnowledgeA Monthly Column about Life on the Job |
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By Mary Pergander American Libraries Columnist Mary Pergander is director of the Deerfield (Ill.) Public Library. Send comments or questions to working@ala.org. Column for June/July 2007 |
Where Ideas Come From
Inspiration can come from almost anywhere
A few mornings ago, I had coffee with management guru and author Peter Drucker (1909–2005). I sat on my sofa sipping a double latte while he spoke earnestly from the printed page before me. His words, written decades ago, addressed perfectly the problem I faced that day, and I went to the library ready to apply his advice as if it were from a trusted friend familiar with my personal struggle.
A new friend tells me she gets her best ideas from her own mind. Earl Nightingale, long-time motivational speaker, recommended this path, too. His advice was to get up early in the morning. Then, with a cup of coffee in one hand and pen in the other, write the problem or opportunity at the top of a fresh page of paper. Next, in the quiet counsel of your own thoughts, jot as many options as possible in a fixed amount of time. It is important not to stop to judge the ideas—that comes later. The goal is to download the treasury of solutions from the subconscious mind to paper (or computer screen).
Resources can take a human form, as well. Librarian Melissa Henderson, head of children’s services at Glencoe (Ill.) Public Library, has the natural ability to link those she meets with someone needing that person’s area of expertise. The synergistic network she weaves, without even trying, enriches the lives of all around her.
Strangers no more
Speaking of networks, consider online discussion lists, such as Publib and many others. We can depend on them to connect us to colleagues, known and unknown, to serve as resources and problem-solvers. Post an idea and often within minutes, librarians around the country respond from a variety of viewpoints and orientations. Idea nirvana!.
The spontaneous advice of strangers we meet in person also can lead to wonderful discoveries. For example, during a break at the 2006 ALA Annual Conference, Brian Bannon, now chief of branches at San Francisco Public Library, mentioned the Manager Tools website to me. Because of that timely suggestion, I have been subscribing to their podcasts, reading their blogs, printing their forms and tools, and improving my management practice in many ways.
We may sometimes take for granted or ignore the resources found in the workplace. I am always surprised to meet librarians who do not avail themselves of their libraries’ subscriptions to both print and web-based professional journals, which bring the world of librarianship right to us! Finding the time to read them can seem daunting, however. A former boss used to set aside Sunday afternoons as inviolate time for study and renewal. While his four-hour sessions are something I do not try to match, I treasure the quiet Sunday hour spent in professional reading. It enriches me, and prepares me for both the week ahead and the future.
However, no source of ideas is of any value unless we routinely access it. Have you established the regular habit of spending time in thoughtful contemplation, and utilizing the abundance of options for developing solutions?
(c) Copyright 2007 American Library Association